Israeli Strike Kills Four in South Lebanon Despite Ceasefire
BEIRUT-An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed four people, including three women, on Monday, Lebanese state media reported, underscoring continued violence despite a ceasefire intended to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the victims included a school principal, her mother, a foreign domestic worker and a Syrian laborer. According to the agency, they were traveling back after inspecting their family home in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa when their vehicle was struck.
Israel has continued carrying out intermittent strikes across southern Lebanon, particularly in the Nabatieh region, since a ceasefire took effect roughly two weeks ago. Israeli authorities have generally said such operations target Hezbollah fighters and military infrastructure.
Both Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement.
The truce forms part of a broader regional arrangement reached last month through an agreement signed by the United States and Iran aimed at ending the wider conflict. The accord established a ceasefire in Lebanon that came into effect on June 21.
Days later, following talks in Washington, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a United States-backed framework intended to pave the way toward a permanent cessation of hostilities.
The proposed framework calls for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces into the area and the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. The plan envisages implementation beginning in two pilot areas but does not specify a timetable for a full Israeli withdrawal.
Hezbollah has rejected the framework agreement.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that the continued presence of Israeli forces in southern Lebanon was preventing the Lebanese army from deploying throughout the area.
According to a statement issued by his office, Aoun said international pressure was needed to secure an Israeli withdrawal, arguing that the continued occupation undermined the authority of the Lebanese state and delayed efforts to establish the conditions necessary for a just and lasting peace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli troops would remain in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect communities in northern Israel and ensure the country’s security.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli military operations since March 2 have killed around 4,300 people and displaced more than one million residents. The United Nations has said that more than 640,000 displaced people have returned to their homes since June 22, although security conditions remain fragile in parts of southern Lebanon.
